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Style Analysis Questions ...................................................................................
- Does this part of the job make sense to you?
- Does any part of the task seem unnecessary?
- Would you call this task hard? Easy? Why?
- What might you do differently to streamline the task?
- Is there anything that might better equip you to do
the task? - What part of the task appeals most to you? Least? Why?
The answers allow you to interpret how your associates think
and how best to respond to them. Many times, your advice and
explanations, stories and examples will do the teaching. Match
their thinking styles with the way you provide information to
ensure the best results.
Neurolinguistic programming is another tool to supplement
your ability to understand thinking style. We are discussing how
people process information and how people take in information for
processing through their senses. Some are more visual. They rely
on seeing it to understand what you are saying. When you use
visual words — “see”, “look”, “picture” — they will get the
message. Others rely on their auditory senses and listen for
meaning. They require slower speech and words like “hear”,
“listen”, and “sounds like” to trigger their understanding. The
kinesthetic learner grasps meaning by movement. She feels,
senses, gets it, in an active sense. Each of us has preferences for
how we take in information. If one parallels how people talk with
how they think, a mentor immediately realizes a sense of comfort
and understanding with her associate.
The Mentoring Role: Instruction by Example